Question 80 · The Holy Spirit and gifts

Do tongues, prophecy and healing continue in the church?

What the sources show

Justin Martyr c. 160 · Irenaeus of Lyons (quoted by Eusebius) c. 180Continue

In the second century, Justin and Irenaeus point to prophecy, exorcism, healing and tongues in the Church of their day as proof of the Spirit. ³⁴

Origen of Alexandria c. 248 · John Chrysostom c. 392

By the third century Origen speaks of "traces", and by about 390 Chrysostom says tongues "used to happen then but do not happen now". ⁵⁶

Assemblies of God 1916 · Catechism of the Catholic Church 1992 · Westminster Assembly 1646

Today the churches divide: Pentecostals and charismatics say the gifts continue, Catholic teaching receives charisms under the pastors, and Reformed confessions hold that revelatory gifts ceased. ⁷⁸⁹

The answers given:

ApostolicBefore NicaeaNicaea and afterMiddle AgesReformation to today

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Apostolic Fathers

30–150

100c. AD

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Didache c. 100 ADDidache 11

Every apostle who comes to you is to be received as the Lord. But he must not stay more than one day; if there is need, a second as well. If he stays three days, he is a false prophet. ... Not everyone who speaks in the Spirit is a prophet, but only one who has the ways of the Lord. By their ways, then, the false prophet and the prophet will be known. ... Any prophet who teaches the truth but does not do what he teaches is a false prophet. ... If anyone says in the Spirit, 'Give me money' or anything else, do not listen to him.

About 100: travelling apostles and prophets are part of ordinary church life, and they are tested by conduct, not by their claims: how long they stay, whether they ask for money for themselves, whether they practice what they teach. A prophet speaking in the Spirit is not to be tested on the spot (11.7); if he asks for help for others in need, no one is to judge him (11.12).

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100c. AD

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Didache c. 100 ADDidache 13

Every true prophet who wishes to settle among you deserves his food. ... So take the firstfruits of the produce of the winepress and the threshing floor, of cattle and sheep, and give the firstfruits to the prophets, for they are your high priests.

Settled prophets are supported like workers and true teachers (13.1-2), from the firstfruits of produce, animals, money and clothing, as the community's 'high priests'. If there is no prophet, the firstfruits go to the poor (13.4). Chapter 12 applies the same testing to any Christian traveller who wants to settle: he must work, or he is a 'Christ-monger'.

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Before Nicaea

150–325

160c. AD

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Justin Martyr c. 100–c. 165 ADDialogue with Trypho 82.1

For prophetic gifts remain with us even to this day, from which you ought to understand that what was formerly among your people has been transferred to us. And just as there were false prophets among your holy prophets, so now there are many false teachers among us.

Justin uses the gifts as evidence that the Spirit has passed to the Church.

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180c. AD

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Irenaeus of Lyons (quoted by Eusebius) c. 130–c. 202 ADAgainst Heresies 2.32.4 and 5.6.1, in Eusebius, Church History 5.7.4–6

Some drive out demons truly and certainly, so that often those cleansed of evil spirits believe and are in the Church; others have foreknowledge of things to come, visions and prophetic utterances; others heal the sick by laying on of hands and make them well. And already, as we said, even the dead have been raised and remained with us many years. ... We hear many brothers in the Church who have prophetic gifts and speak through the Spirit in all kinds of tongues, and bring men's hidden things to light for their good, and set forth the mysteries of God.

Eusebius quotes Irenaeus to show that the gifts lasted "to the times we are describing".

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248c. AD

ContinueIndirect: does not say it outright

Origen of Alexandria c. 185–c. 254 ADAgainst Celsus 1.2

"Power" because of the wonderful works, which we must hold took place, both from many other proofs and from the fact that traces of them are still preserved among those who live by the will of the Word.

"Traces": by Origen's time, the gifts were fewer than at first (compare 1.46).

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Nicaea to Chalcedon

325–451

392c. AD

Ceased

John Chrysostom c. 349–407 ADHomilies on 1 Corinthians 29.1, on 1 Corinthians 12:1

This whole passage is very obscure. The obscurity comes from our ignorance of the facts and from their absence, since they used to happen then but do not happen now. And why do they not happen now? ... Why did they happen then and no longer now? Let us put that off to another time. ... What then happened then? Whoever was baptized at once spoke in tongues.

By about 390 Chrysostom at Antioch knew tongues only from Scripture.

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Reformation

1500–1700

1646AD

Ceased

Westminster AssemblyWestminster Confession of Faith 1.1

those former ways of God's revealing his will unto his people being now ceased.

The Reformed view that revelatory gifts ceased with the apostles.

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Modern churches

1700–today

1916AD

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Assemblies of GodStatement of Fundamental Truths Article 8

The baptism of believers in the Holy Spirit is witnessed by the initial physical sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives them utterance.

Pentecostal churches teach that tongues are the initial evidence of baptism in the Spirit.

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1992AD

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Catechism of the Catholic ChurchCatechism of the Catholic Church 2003

Whatever their character - sometimes it is extraordinary, such as the gift of miracles or of tongues - charisms are oriented toward sanctifying grace

Catholic teaching: charisms continue, ordered to holiness and tested by the Church's pastors.

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Witnesses not in the library yet

These writers also matter for this question. Their texts will join the timeline above once they are translated.

416
Augustine of Hippo, Homilies on 1 John 6.10; City of God 22.8
Tongues were a sign for the beginning; yet miracles still happen at the martyrs' shrines.

How this page was made

Every early quote was read in its Greek or Latin and translated for this page by Claude (Opus 5.5) on 13 October 2026. Each line names the printed edition it was read from. A quote marked indirect does not state the answer outright; read its note. A writer's silence is never counted as an answer.